A Tribute To Yoram Dinstein.

• Author: Shamir-Borer, Eran
• Position: Hebrew University lecturer, Tel Aviv University Faculty of Law dean - Special Issue: The Law of Armed Conflict

If one puts in Control F and Search "Dinstein" in the IDF International Law Department's database of legal opinions, the word will appear almost as often as the word "law." And when we hear that word "Dinstein" we think firstly not of the person, but of the fundamental texts which guide many of us in our work.

As such, Professor Yoram Dinstein has joined that small group of people for whom the mention of their names has connotations of a concept or a school more than the person themselves.

So for most of us, Professor Dinstein needs no introduction. In fact, for many of us, he and his many fundamental texts were the introduction to our field. Aside from being the founding father of international law studies in Israel, teaching countless students, to-be professors, and practitioners, Professor Dinstein has achieved an almost mythical status worldwide, with his name becoming a synonym for academic excellence, irrefutable expertise, and never-ending vigor.

Nevertheless, this conference is an excellent opportunity to acknowledge Professor Dinstein's truly wondrous contributions to the study and development of international law. His experience--as a leading member of many international institutions; an accomplished public servant; a consultant for the Government of Israel; and a successful teacher of the law--has left an indelible impact in the field in which we practice.

Professor Dinstein completed his Master of Jurisprudence at the Hebrew University, an LLM at New York University, and a Doctor of Laws at Hebrew University, and has since then been a teacher of the law and a promoter of the study of the law at different institutions. Professor Dinstein has been a Lecturer at the Hebrew University and the Dean of the Faculty of Law at Tel Aviv University. He was the first law professor to be appointed Rector of Tel Aviv University and later the President of Tel Aviv University--the only person to have held both offices as of this publication. Professor Dinstein has been a visiting professor at the University of Toronto, New York University, Humboldt Fellow at the Max Planck Institute, Lecturer at the Hague Academy of International Law, and more. Along the way, he has obtained honorary degrees from the University of Buenos Aires, the University of Chile, and the Hebrew Union College.

In the Introduction to this conference, which appears in this issue, the IDF Military Advocate General, Brigadier General Sharon Afek writes about the changes in the...